KumaarShah

Wonder what is holding MTNL/BSNL from doing this? If they do this, then they will give a run to RCOM and all other private players. In any case, the babus may have been bought out by the telecom gangsters, so all such efforts will get stymied. BSNL/MTNL can emerge as the best network providing the cheapest services if they do things properly and dont depend on the GoI for each and every thing. Both need to be freed from GoI clutches or should it be crutches?

^^^ I too agree that Honest 275 is very good because it offers all India at Re 0.50 pm. What about roaming charges? Is it still the CDMA standard rates of 1.40/1.75 and 2.40? All in all good plans from TATA even if Honest 440 is a lift off from RCOM. So what, even RCOM copies TATA at times.

SAN FRANCISCO: June has arrived and for Apple Inc fans and investors that means just one thing -- a new iPhone. The encore to the original iPhone, which launched nearly a year ago amid unprecedented industry buzz, is widely expected to be the main attraction when Chief Executive Steve Jobs takes the stage at Apple's developers conference next Monday. The new iPhone will be accompanied by support for corporate e-mail and a slate of new programs that could help boost sales of the devices, which sport a touch-sensitive screen, wireless Internet access and iPod-style media functions. "The thing for Apple is to be able to leverage the iPhone for further innovation, or they run the risk of being the next (Motorola) RAZR, which was iconic in its own way, but for which innovation did not come fast enough," Shiv Bakhshi, director of mobility research for market research firm IDC. Apple has declined to comment on what Jobs will announce, but analysts are betting he will show off a long-rumored phone running on a so-called 3G, or third-generation, network. That would address one of the chief complaints about the current iPhone: the speed at which it calls up Web pages on AT&T Inc's pokey EDGE network. That is a particularly important concern in Europe, which is ahead of the United States in building new networks and where sales of the iPhone have lagged. "I see 3G as important for the U.S. but essential for overseas," analyst Avi Greengart of Current Analysis said of a faster iPhone. "It will be appreciated by technology enthusiasts and anybody who wants to get fast Web browsing outside the hot spots." A new iPhone may be a catalyst for Apple stock, which has risen 50 percent over the past three months, to a close of $186.10 on Monday. Investors have regained confidence that demand for the company's Macintosh computers and iPod media players is holding up amid fears the US economy is headed for recession. Thomas Weisel analyst Doug Reid raised his price target on Apple shares on Monday to $225 share from $195, citing strong demand for its laptops and sales of up to 16.5 million iPhones next year. INEXPENSIVE IPHONE? There is also speculation Apple could bow to a cellphone industry practice and offer a subsidized iPhone, an arrangement where AT&T could kick in a couple hundred dollars to make the devices more affordable. AT&T already gives Apple a slice of the monthly service fees it gets from iPhone subscribers. "We think that actually Apple could talk about a very disruptive business model, or a change in their business model, embracing subsidies where necessary, multiple carriers to help get the iPhone into more hands," Lehman Brothers analyst Ben Reitzes told a conference call last week. But more important than the actual hardware will be new services and programs that can tap the increased power. Some reckon that will include the ability to download songs from iTunes using the cellular network. IPhone users now have to be connected to a Wi-Fi network to get music from Apple's online store. Apple will also roll out its highly anticipated support for corporate e-mail, a capability it showed off earlier this year and that is expected to give iPhone a push into business, which now overwhelmingly use Research In Motion Ltd's Blackberry devices. Apple will also launch its iPhone "applications store" that will sell programs made by developers outside of Apple. The service marks an about-face for Jobs, who initially blocked third-party software from the device. "That's important for developers who can now build this out as a critical platform for Apple," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Jupiter Research. "The potential here is sort of unlimited."

^^^ You are 100% right when you say that Apple can outsell in Asia rather than in USA and Europe. But then they are unable to produce enough for these countries itself and hence they are wary of bringing it to India and China. So unless they are able to produce as per the demand, they will only bring the outdated phones into India and as you are well aware, we Indians / Chinese will grab whatever is made available to us just for the fancy factor.

^^^ Then in that case, MNP itself may not be required. If everyone starts offering free local calls at Rs 2000 (apprx), then what will be the inducement for anyone to switch operators? Basically, most people would like to switch only because of tariff problems and if all operators have same tariffs, there may not be any necessity for MNP. Ofcourse for other issues like WAP, SMS, MMS, VAS etc etc, there may be inducements for crossing over, but then all these also eventually can be copied by all operators. A case in point is the STD and Roaming tariff reductions by all operators except the greatest RCOM. Still wondering how to reduce their tariffs for STD and roaming? They will have to scrap many of their existing plans if they slice down the STD and roaming rates - who will go in for MySTD or MyRoaming etc etc if the tariffs are almost the same?

^^^ In my case, upload shows 100% success, but when you do download, the data shown is the same as the old un-updated data. I think this problem is with Nokia handsets only or what?

I would rate them at about 95%. They are intermittently good and bad. But all problems do get resolved - only thing is that you have to persevere with them and have loads of patience. The erstwhile complaint,' our servers are under updation' (they always say upgradation instead of updation) is still there but thankfully, it gets over fast. In the next call, the servers seem updated. Complaints do not get registered unless there is a strong case, all frivolous complaints do not get registered at all. They make you call them a number of times before it is registered. All in all, RCOM's CC is better than other operators, I feel. I have tried BSNL, Airtel, Aircel and Voda in my circle, but RCOM is indeed best of the lot.

^^^ AFAIK, The WW will transfer your number to any new handset, even if your old handset is not working. The logic here is that if you lose your handset, then also they are giving you the same number. So also, with a non-working handset, this logic will apply. Secondly, go in for LG - they are better than Classic. You can choose LG3000 for 1200 to 1300, LG3100 for 1700 apprx. LG3500 for Rs 1400 to 1500 apprx. All these models have good battery life and have reasonably good voice and SMS features. No other features like MP3, Camera etc are available in these models. Some of these have FM also. Thats all. Some price reductions have been made by LG wef 1.6.8, check out with the WW before you buy. Or ask Amit Jain (RCO, Delhi) or P K Daga, (RCO, Chennai). Their phone numbers are listed on this forum. Read any of their posts and you will get their contact details.

The CDMA operators started with the promise of the lowest tariffs but now they are lagging way behind in tariff reductions. All other operators have come down, but the big 2 CDMA operators are still sleeping. Hope they get up soon. All offers of free ONNET STD may not cut ice with many customers who have to call other operators also. And RCOM is limiting the offers of offnet calls (like LP 49) to plans which do not have free ONNET STD. It is like one step forward and two steps backwards for RCOM. People who want both LP 49 and LP 99 also cannot activate both these packs. I had my 1000 minutes local ONNET pack and LP 49 activated with great difficulty on 3 of my lines. Still their billing system shows errors and every month I have to ask for waivers and a fight with the CC is inevitable. Then I have to email and get things sorted out. It is painful. Has anyone else activated both the LP 49 and the 1000 minutes local ONNET pack? Are they facing any billing problems?

Thanks Vijay for your compliments, But it was reported in the Tech2.com and I just reproduced it ehre for everyone's benefit and knowledge.

^^^ All along, I used to create new folders for my different phones under Contacts in MS Outlook for my different phones. This way also I was ensuring that my different phone books remain separate.

^^^ Way to go, Vodafone!!!! Its a truly useful service for those who always run short of balance in their account. In an emergency also, it is very useful. What if one does not re-charge within 7 days? And if one recharges Credit today, will Voda allow one more credit after a couple of days - if I have recharged again and If I have not recharged again? Sorry, but Voda's CC is not contactable here, SO if anyone has any ideas on this, please clarify.

Wow!!! That was a great find, man. Good I also can use this method to backup my 6265 and also my SE W660 with 2 different profiles. Keep it up.

^^^ Its nothing new in the Corporate world. Only in India, CEOs and CMDs stick to their cos for life. Abroad, they are professionally managed and hence people quit after some time to another corporate. Anyway, Arun Sarin had been there for five full years. Due Credit is to be given to you for predicting his exit eight months back.

^^^ No one will be able to provide you the name and address of any mobile user. It is not allowed legally. If you have any problem with any mobile number, approach the nearest police station.

@aks, I am using BSNL's 2mbps service at my office and home since Jan 2007 and the service has more or less been very good except for some quirks at some time or the other. If you are not getting good speeds, complain with 1500 (earlier it was 1800-424-1600) and they will guide you on how to achieve good speeds. Most probably the contacts in the splitter box at the site of connection is at fault. You can also try to clean the contacts yourself, this will improve your speeds. Alternatively, BSNL will give you different DNS server addresses and this may improve your speeds. Believe me, nothing is as good as BSNL. All others have some problems or the other - some billing, some speeds, some indifferent CC, etc etc. I would rate BSNL at 96 out of 100.

Iphone Clones Top iPhone Killers: The List So Far - I By: Shayne Rana | May 16,2008 I'll wager that the iPhone is as universal a term as Superman. It's become a household name. Nothing that popular would be without a ton of rivals, lookalikes, copycats, and plain old rip-offs. Ever since the iPhone made its debut, there have been so many companies trying to beat Apple at their own game. Touchscreen technology is not new, but the kind of technology that the iPhone uses is unlike anything we've seen in the past. The iPhone may lack features that even some of the lower-end handsets have, but from what I understand, owning one is an experience. There's always something abuzz with the iPhone, so much so that there isn't a day that goes by that it isn't mentioned in the news. What I have here is a list of handsets that consider themselves to be iPhone Killers (or iKillers, as I call them). In this instalment, I've listed the handsets that have been making the mobile scene for awhile now. Some of them have already been launched, while others are still waiting for their day in the sun. LG KU990 Viewty The KU990 is equipped with a 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with a strobe flash and Schneider Kreuznach lens that shoots video VGA at 30fps and QVGA up to 120fps. That feature itself is leagues ahead of the iPhone's measly 2 megapixel-no-frills camera. The KU990 has a 3-inch touch screen display but it's nothing like the iPhone's multi-touch input method with an Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate and a Proximity sensor for auto turn-off. This is pretty much what makes the iPhone, well, the iPhone. But the Viewty has plenty more on offer, such as a secondary videocall camera, DivX player, document viewer and an integrated FM radio. This handset supports external memory up to 2GB, unlike the iPhone's inbuilt memory of up to 16GB (depending on the model you choose). The Viewty also has Bluetooth with an A2DP profile – something lacking in the iPhone. There's no Wi-Fi but 3G HSDPA support makes up for that oversight. Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 The Xperia X1 is a Windows Mobile device running on version 6.1. It also has a 3-inch touchscreen display and a superb slide-out QWERTY keypad. Even so, the handset is quite slim. The X1 has a small touch-sensitive nav-pad just below the screen, which acts somewhat like an optical mouse. Other features include Wi-Fi, 3G support with HSDPA, and Bluetooth with an A2DP profile. The X1 is equipped with a 3 megapixel auto-focus camera with a flash and it has a secondary camera for video calling. A GPS receiver is integrated into the handset and it supports aGPS. Similar to the iPhone's auto screen rotation feature (but not the same), the X1 also has a motion sensor that rotates the display. It supports external memory with microSD cards and comes with 400MB of internal storage. HTC Touch The Touch is a super-slim Windows Mobile handset that runs on Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional. This handset has a special navigation system called TouchFLO, which lets you activate certain functions and features with a sweep of your fingers. It's not as smooth as the iPhone's though – it doesn't even come close. But it offers features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It also has handwriting recognition, so typing messages using the stylus would be easier. The Touch comes with a 2.8 inch TFT touchscreen and a 2 megapixel camera, and supports microSD cards. The best part about the phone, at least in my book, is the hot-swap slot for the SIM card. HTC relaunched the Touch and added a QWERTY slide-down keypad; this new handset is called the Touch Dual, for Dual Input. Samsung F490 The F490 actually has a larger screen than the iPhone – or for that matter most other touchscreen phones available. The screen size is 3.3 inches, with a resolution of 240x432 pixels and 256K colors. It comes equipped with a 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with flash, and a secondary camera for video calling. It also supports external memory with microSD cards and comes with 130MB of shared memory. The Samsung F490 supports 3G with HSDPA, among other things. It doesn't come with Wi-Fi, but it does support EDGE and also has a Stereo Bluetooth profile. There's no doubt the F490 is quite a sleek-looking handset, with an all-black finish. These phones may not necessarily be better than the iPhone, even if they often boast a lot more features than Apple's handset. Apple has tried to make the iPhone a state-of-the-art mobile device, but there's so much more one can expect from it. It's only a matter of time before the 3G version is out, for example. The big question is – will Apple do something about other features, such as upping the camera and allowing copy/paste of music rather than relying on iTunes? At least the handsets reviewed above don't require proprietary software for simple jobs like transferring MP3 files! I shall be compiling a second instalment next week, and adding more iKiller handsets. If you'd like to see your favorite devices in the list – or simply want to sound off on our take on 'iPhone Killers' – feel free to leave your comments and suggestions. Top iPhone Killers: The List Continues (Part II) By: Shayne Rana | May 24,2008 In Part I of this feature I showcased a few handsets that most would consider to be the perfect contender for the title of iPhone Killer. In this instalment, I have a list of a few more handset that fit the bill. Once again, let me explain that most some of these handsets might still be in the drawing board stage or not yet officially cleared for launch. But that doesn't mean these companies won't be coming up with a handset that could take on the iPhone... HTC Diamond By popular demand and of course as an obvious contender for this list is HTC's latest offering in the Windows Mobile segment: the Touch Diamond. Like the previous Touch model, the Diamond also uses HTC's TouchFLO technology, only this one has a bit of an upgrade – it's 3D. The HTC Touch Diamond has plenty to offer all kinds of users, from a 3 megapixel auto-focus camera to a media player and an FM radio. Other features include GPS with A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP, and 3G with HSDPA. The Diamond comes with 4GB of internal space. The best part is it's just been launched here in India. BlackBerry Thunder Enterprise mobile developer BlackBerry certainly didn't want to be left out of the race. Their offering to the list of i-Killers is the sleek BlackBerry 9500 Thunder. Though it may seem a bit more official now than it did about a week ago, the design may not be off the drawing board yet. There aren't too many specs revealed either. According to the pictures making the rounds, this handset looks promising. It has a full touch screen interface for what looks to easily be a 3.inch TFT display. A touchscreen BlackBerry does have potential, so we'll have to just wait and see what this baby's all about. Philips Philips has launched not one but two handsets that are would-be competitors for the iPhone. There isn't too much information available about these handsets, but from the images floating around, they both seem to be totally touchscreen mobiles with relatively large displays. The X800 is equipped with a 2.9-inch TFT touchscreen with 240 x 400 pixel resolution and 262K colors. It supports external memory via microSD cards and comes with a 2 megapixel auto-focus camera. Other features include Bluetooth and handwriting recognition. It may have a slightly smaller display, but till the iPhone's camera is beefed up with more features, it looks as if this could be a close competitor. Philips' second handset is called the Xenium X-Connect, and this device is supposed to run on a Windows Mobile Platform. Rumor has it that the X-Connect would also be GPS-enabled and support Bluetooth. It's expected to have a 3-inch TFT touchscreen display. Meizu MiniOne In China this handset is called the iPhone Clone as it's probably the closest you can get to the real thing in terms of design and interface. The MiniOne M8 offers quite a few features though, such as Wi-Fi, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, a 3MP auto-focus camera, and a Line-In as well as a TV-Out. Even the OS has been tweaked to resemble the iPhone's. Whether or not this could be considered a tribute to Apple's handset is a different story... for all we know, a hefty lawsuit just could be in the works. The M8 also has the iPhone's 'Single Button' feature. In the immortal words of Mr Chandler Bing – could this BE any more similar? I've been getting a lot of feedback from readers, but naturally I'd like more. If there are any phones you'd like to add to the list, please feel free to let us know though our forums, or leave a comment. The iPhone really is a phenomenon and it does seem as if every other mobile manufacturer is out to make its name bigger by beating it silly. I wonder who the winner could be, or who would come the closest to being a true equal – if not go one better. Stay tuned and let us know of any more iKillers you may come across. Courtesy: Tech2.com

NEW DELHI: Anil Ambani group company Reliance Communications on Monday announced entering into an exclusive negotiations with South Africa's telecom giant MTN to discuss potential combination of their businesses. The two companies have agreed for a 45-day exclusivity to work out the details for merging their businesses. The development comes just two days after South African company deviated from agreed terms with India's largest telecom player Bharti Airtel, who pulled out of 3-week long negotiations. Commenting on the development, Anil Ambani said "negotiations are on to achieve global platform for exponential growth." The company has also informed the stock exchange about the development and said that further announcement would be made when appropriate. If the negotiations are successful, the combination of MTN and Reliance Communications would create a global wireless juggernaut, larger even than developed-market giants such as AT&T. Last week, Bharti Airtel had decided to pull out as MTN had proposed a structure which would have made the Indian telecom giant a subsidiary of South African company, contrary to the agreed terms between the two firms prior to entering the discussions. The valuation of MTN has been put at about $50 billion. Bharti Airtel had also claimed to have arranged funds of over $60 billion from over a dozen of international reputed banks for the deal. Although no official figures have been given by the company but sources have put MTN between $45-50 billion. Asked about the possible structure of the deal between Reliance Communications and MTN, sources said it is too early to say but they indicated that it would be in the direction of merging the two entities. Reliance Communications is the second largest private telecom company in India offering a variety of telecom services both on CDMA and GSM platforms. It is looking for growth avenues both in the domestic and overseas markets and the current negotiations with MTN are also in that direction. Courtesy: The ET

^^^ @Hemant/honestly, I presume you are using FireFox. And you must have also enabled the QuickTime add-on. This is the culprit. It will not allow you to save any songs or images to your computer. Disable QT and your problem will be solved. Try it and report here.

^^^ What about RCOM's offering? I think it is similar to the above, though not too sure about the charges etc.

Will ADA sell out to MTN? I doubt it. If he does, it will be very bad. I think Bharti has done the right thing in refusing to sell out to a MNC. Why should Indian cos sell out to a MNC? We are capable of buying out MNCs today. Anyway, its too early discussing this issue until some more details of this deal are available.

NEW DELHI: Country's largest mobile service provider Bharti Airtel on Thursday announced a strategic tie up with global smartphone company HTC to offer a large scale mobile broadband application, including seamless internet and browsing experience. Under this exclusive tie up, HTC Touch Diamond, the smartphone, will offer a wide range of services, including YouTube application for watching video content. Besides, it will give access to Airtel Live for providing entertainment on mobile. The price of HTC Touch is Rs 27,500, HTC Corp President and CEO Peter Chou told reporters. So, RCOM is not the only one which will have a tie-up with HTC.

NEW DELHI: Expressing concern on the drop in BSNL's marketshare, Communications and IT Minister A Raja today asked the state-run telecom operator to capture 30 per cent of the market by the end of next year. "While mobile market in India is growing at a rapid speed with more than 9 million new connections every month, BSNL has dropped from the second position to the fourth position in the country in this important sector. "It has vast infrastructure throughout the country with maximum reach and penetration. I would like the organisation to leverage this strength to increase its market share to 30 per cent by the end of next year," Raja said today at the BSNL circle head meeting here. BSNL, after facing repeated delays in equipment supply due to controversies in tenders and losing critical time in customer acquisition, has a marketshare of 18.44 per cent as on April, 2008. He said India has become the second largest customer base after China with more than 300 million telephone connections and has the fastest growth rate in mobile segment, growing at the rate of around 8-10 million connections per month. "The whole world is looking at India as the major telecom market and a place of great opportunities in the next 5 to 10 years. Today, India is attracting an investment of approximately USD 10 billion per year, which is likely to grow to USD 15 billion per year in the next three to four years," he said. Raja said the government is committed to cover the unconnected population through USO fund. "Under Phase-I of the project, about 8,000 towers are planned to be erected, out of which 6,175 towers will be erected by BSNL." var RN = new String (Math.random()); var RNS = RN.substring (2,11); b2 = ' '; if (doweshowbellyad==1) bellyad.innerHTML = b2;

^^^ Go for LG Rd 3000 at 1300 and LGRD 3500 at 1800 apprx. Both are good mobiles.

^^^ If so, then they may have updates for 6265 and 6275. When I sent an email to them sometime back, they replied that no updates to the version I have on my mobile. Lets see, I will shoot another email to them.